Star Trek: 10 Secrets About The USS Discovery-A You Need To Know
Continuing the great Star Trek tradition of 'just stick an extra letter on it, no one will know!'
What the A?
A question that many fans might have asked back in the third season of Discovery with the rebranding of the hero ship for the series after its temporal shift into the 32nd Century.
After two seasons as a Starfleet testbed science vessel, it was all change and while we have covered the original set up for the USS Discovery, it is only fitting that we switch attention to its later updates during what is to be the show's final seasons.
With almost as long a list of commanding officers as the USS Enterprise before and after its own refit, the USS Discovery remains the only ship equipped with a spore drive and season five has already confirmed that any further research in that area has been ceased. While the addition of an "A" to its registry is not too dissimilar to Superman popping on a pair of glasses to conceal his real identity, the Discovery visually remains close to its 23rd Century origins although there's a lot more going on between those detached nacelles than at first there may appear.
So lock in a black alert and set your saucer spinning as we take a look at the most secretive addition to Starfleet of the far future.
10. Beyond the Smallish Screen
The USS Discovery-A might be confined to the 32nd Century as part of the Star Trek series that bears its name but fans are still able to get their hands on it in some form outside of that medium.
In terms of models, two have been available representing the ship in its 32nd Century state and both are thanks to the now-defunct Eaglemoss. One was as part of its standard Star Trek Discovery line as issue 11 and then as the XL version.
Star Trek Online has also delved into the timeline of NCC-1031-A, adding it into the game as a top level refitted science vessel. This also included adding in the cloaking technology that was established in Discovery's third season. Previously only the USS Defiant had been allowed to carry a cloaking device but the unification of the Romulan and Vuclan people effectively ended the existence of the Treaty of Algeron.
In turn this meant that the Federation could use cloaking technology although it has been used sparingly through Discovery, even getting a mention as recently as in one of the flashback moments of Face the Strange. Star Trek Online takes an even more military stance with it, terming the device as a Battle Cloak in line with the more combat-focused gameplay.